Chemistry Class

Morning,

Well, another week goes by in the blink of an eye. Time goes by so quickly and I learn what I need to know so slowly. When I stop and think about it I can get pretty frustrated and yet... I’ve been thinking about an old friend of mine the last few weeks. We were business partners for a while, lost a lot of money together some 20 years ago. We haven’t talked much since, not because of bad blood or anything, life just brought our paths together for about 5 or 6 years and then had them head off in different directions again with both of us a lot poorer and a lot farther south.

It crossed my mind the other day that the reason I am about to enter a new phase of life with regard to pursing my doctorate is because he crossed my path. We both worked at McDonalds together in Beloit, WI several lifetimes ago. He was a store manager and I had somehow landed a gig as facilities manager of an entire corporate region, 16 stores. I was winding down trying to be a church planter for John Wimber’s new denomination – Vineyard Christian Fellowship after running away from pastoring a small Southern Baptist church (Welcome to my nightmare).

We hit it off right away; if I remember correctly, and not long after we met he invited my family to come to church with him and his wife. Although I didn’t know it then; my life would never be the same because it was there, in that Assemblies of God church, that I first encountered the writing of RJ Rushdoony. (Side note: My friend, who also had a house sized satellite dish in his back yard, also introduced me to Dr. Gene Scott who strongly influenced my ideas of what Reverend Brian Whitehead would be in my books).

My life took a 180 degree turn during those years and the continual change and growth over the last 25 years has caused me a lot of pain and given me a lot of joy. I’m nowhere near recovering from my mistakes, I may never, but I have gained so much more than I have lost.

After 25 years of percolating it may be that whatever it is that’s been brewing is about ready to be served. Whatever it is, it can no longer be written off as youthful zeal, because I’m certainly not young anymore and I can’t say that I’m filled with zeal, it’s more of a continual shifting between guarded hope and resigned angst. I’m less sure of where I’m headed than ever before yet I am more confident of the rock on which I stand than I ever thought possible.

At the same time that this slow percolating has been going on I’ve recently noticed that things are changing rapidly or at least I think I’m noticing that. I'm changing physically and mentally, in part because of this whole learning to take dominion over my own self thing I’ve been musing on and implementing in the last few months. It may have started to take hold in ways I can’t explain. I think I’m changing and as I do it affects (or effects; you choose the correct one because I can never remember) people I come in contact with – even strangers.

I have yet to determine whether these effects/affects are good or bad; though I do know weird is appropriate. It is interesting how change is never static and it is never just personal. None of us is simply an individual. We are all a part of various types of relationships and interconnectedness among varying alignments of peoples in varying degrees: When one part changes it changes the whole. Now maybe those changes will have no lasting aeffect (I like that word) but maybe an entire new substance is forming. Kind of like: What did the Hydrogen atom say to his Oxygen wife the first time they invited her twin sister over for dinner? Whatta surprise. (bad joke I know).

I’m just beginning to realize that a 25 year old 180 degree change is still rippling through my life. I’m reminded of an old Elvis Costello song: You've got a chemistry class I want a piece of your mind. You don't know what you started when you mixed it up with mine. Are you ready for the final solution? Oh. Oh.

One person comes into my life and begins a chain reaction of grace that totally transforms the rest of my days. Oh the secret things of God. I pray that I can be that person in other people’s lives.

What d’ya say we pour a cup of Whatta surprise out of the percolator?

Grace and peace,

Brad